joined by author and syndicated columnist ann coulter. we will take your questions about manufacturing and the u.s. economy. our guests are wall street jour eric. >> good morning. this friday, october 5. all eyes will be on the 8:30 time release of the september jobs number. which is suggested will be resonating on the campaign trail this weekend. and here on c-span, we will be drawn from the debate this week for a question on this friday morning -- a specific question toward the end of the debate. and that is the role of

government in your life. i would like to know what to think about that. it is a hearty debate it seems this year between the two debates. our lines are open and. -- lines are open. you also send us a message by e- mail. can post on facebook foresees ben. weet.end us fa t what should the role of government be in your life? this story was part of peter baker's coverage of the debate. a clash of philosophies. one side sees the central government role. the other side wanted to get out of the way. is also the subject of a fairly new poll from the gallup group majority in the u.s.a., doing too much. so the majority of americans

continue to believe the government is trying to do too many things. that is down from a record high of 61% earlier this summer. but for an 10th said the government should do more to solve the nation's problems. we wanted to turn to you and ask, what you believe the role of the government should be in your life? let us listen to president obama. [video clip] >> the first role is to keep the american people state. that is its most basic function. as commander in chief, that is something that have worked on and thought about every single day i have been in the oval office. but i also believe that government has the capacity, the federal government has the capacity to help open up opportunities and create opportunity and create frameworks were the american people can succeed. the genius of america is the

free enterprise system. and freedom. and the fact that people can go out and start a business, work on an idea. make their own decisions. but, as abraham lincoln understood, there are also some things we do better together. in the middle of the civil war, abraham lincoln said, let us help to finance the transcontinental railroad. but us start the national academy of sciences. let us start colleges. because we want to give the gateways of -- date was of opportunities for all americans. all americans are getting opportunities, that enhances people's freedom. what i have tried to do as president is to apply those same principles. >> that is president obama from the debate this week on the role of government. let us listen to his challenger mitt romney with his answer. and then we will begin listening to you.

[video clip] >> have a responsibility to and libertiesthe lives of the american people. in another one that says we are endowed by our creator with our rights, i believe we must maintain our commitment to religious tolerance and freedom in this country. the statement also says that we are endowed by our creator with the right to pursue happiness as we choose. i interpret that as one making sure that those people who are less fortunate that cannot care for themselves are cared for by one another. we are a nation of belize we are all children of the same god. and we care for those that have difficulties, those that of elderare elderly and have probl. a desire to provide the pursuit of happiness for all americans.

and for individuals, the right to pursue their dreams. not to of the government subject itself for the rights of free individuals. what we are seeing right now is, in my view, a trickle down government approach beard which has government thinking it can do it better job than people pursuing their dreams. is not working. host: we have heard from the president and the person who wants to be president. here is our first call. caller: a fill the role of government is to protect our basic rights. there's nothing more basic and clean air and clean water. the ecology is not even mentioned. and this basically exemplifies modern man's complete disassociation and disconnection from the modern world, and that is the basic difficulty. in fact, the attachment is so great that it even a skewed

perception of physical reality. you constantly hear the word growth. overlooking one single factor cannot grow indefinitely in a finite planet. so all of these candidates are neglecting this. and this is life itself. it has nothing to do with americans. or europeans. it basically has to do with a human species. and survival. i would like these candidates to address one simple fact. what are you talking about, when you consider energy more important than water? host: thank you. asking you, what to the role of government be in your life. let us look at this post -- state a bit more. local a lot more. they should keep them and aligned with regard to protecting rights.

protecting the american economy on a global scale. regulating commerce, and relate regulating big business for the protection of the people -- setting reasonable taxes for the welfare of the nation, protecting and maintaining, advancing the national infrastructure. generally acting as leaders. next up is sherry, watching us up in des moines, iowa. caller: i do agree with mitt romney. i think the government is getting way too big. host: next up is les in detroit. a democrat. you are on. caller: we in michigan have to decide in november whether to allow a big state to come into a city to take over and take a financial manager or an emergency manager and. i guess they think the cities

who have -- local government where they can come in and remove the city officials. like the mayor, city council. now, i do not think that is what the presidential candidate mitt romney had in mind when he wanted to say states have rights. but what about the city's rights to elect their own elected officials? and i guess follow their own destiny? winnie's a government interference, i understand you are talking about the federal. but i heard mitt romney say states' rights. is it the right of the state to come into the cities and overthrow the local municipalities? if that is big government, small government. i do not know. i think they should have the

right to control their own destiny in their own city. it is on the ballot in november. and i am telling everybody in michigan to a vote it down. we did not need dictatorship. it is a dictator bill. host: thank you. on twitter -- the government to do its job, maintain the general welfare. from debate news, the numbers are and on how many watched on television. more than 67 million watched the first presidential debate. nearly 16 more watched four years ago for about 12 of the 67 who watched president obama square off against mitt romney were between 18-34. fox news channel average 10.4 million viewers. a big improvement over 8.2. cnn clock about 6.1 million.

this number of course does not include the numbers of people who watched on the internet or their mobile devices. and also c-span is not included in the ratings. those are the basic numbers. next, let us here on the role of government, which was in the big question this week. a call from carmen in montana. you are on. and independent. caller: i think government is here to help us to the intangible things we cannot do as individuals by ourselves. and i just wanted to say that headlines down there in denver or colorado where romney wins. i thought that was very disingenuous of the press in denver by not finding out the and reporting in the morning that mitt romney slide.

because that was awful disgraceful what was going on during the debate, lying like that over and over again. flipping and flopping. i wanted people to know that the press was not there to do their job. there were there to sway opinion. i thought that was disgraceful for the -- for them to do that. >> back to you facebook. here is a post from humidity builders. and they write to us -- government is the way that -- how we do together what we cannot do alone. -- this your rights -- if you'd like to post on facebook -- is facebook.com cspan. caller: thank you for the

opportunity. first of all, a lot of the smart people out there in the c-span family stole my thunder on a lot of points. but i think basically we need a moderate to strong federal government because i see these right-wing nuts out there and the country crying about state rights. they want less federal government. lincoln ran into this problem before. we have seen this before where certain states broke away from the nation and started a civil war for god sakes. either we are going to left to face the fact that we are all americans. and we have a moderate to strong federal government. and the reason for that is because our government plays a

very important role around the world. it is not just in america. but the world looks to our country for leadership. and the only way that we can have that in my humble opinion is to have a moderate to strong federal government. thank you for the opportunity. host: next is a call from louis in pennsylvania. an independent. welcome to the discussion. caller: good morning. basically, some of the callers -- i met line with their opinion. i believe that governments need to do what we as individuals cannot achieve on our own. and i want to point to the groups such as nasa. even businesses could have

taken us to the moon in 1969. we have to continue to look good government and each and every problem that is presented to see if this is something that could be done by individual states or businesses. or just something that inherently, the -- only the government can solve if the people come together. and the government pushes those resources. i often hear people complain about paying taxes. or taxes are too high or are not appropriate. but we appreciate having the roads. we appreciate having the postal service and the schools and the programs like nasa kick back and giving us wonderful technologies that propelled us and made most people's lives much more comfortable than they would have been had this technology not entered their lives. host: right now, is government about the right size do you think?

or where were the but the scale on its role and its influence on your life? caller: i think that we have to be careful when we talk about the size of government. there seems to be a misunderstanding about what the size of government is. people seem to think the number of federal employees is the size of the government. but the reality is, the problems dictate the size of the government. and if we say, we will shrink the government by reducing the number of federal employees, we actually will then end up contacting people to do those tasks any way. and we cannot account of them -- count them as part of the government. but we are just paying more for that resource and now. people need to recognize that when we take our resources, it is a finite amount. it truly is. and we take that finite amount and we decide we are not going to pay a federal employee to do

it. but we still love to fix the roads. we still have to repair or keep the school. we are going to contract somebody to do those roles. and the size of government is dictated by the problems we want solved, not for the number of employees we hire. host: the government's role should ensure that, it needs are met. economically it to be more. socially, it should be less. more debate stories from a tv writer from the new york times. a half page piece in the morning paper. he writes in this piece --. he came from several sides of the media spectrum. --ttery says the complaint

here is the washington post this morning. he said this e-mail that says, i thought the format accomplished its purpose, to facilitate direct extended exchanges between the candidates. he said part of my moderator mission was to stay out of the way with the flow. i had no problems with doing so. my only real personal frustration is discovering that 90 minutes was not enough time. to cover every issue that deserved attention. one of the issues was the role of government. and we are asking you to tell us about this morning. next is a call from tim in washington, a republican. good morning. caller: i think the role of government is to do things like national defense and build highways and education. and of a environment where it is to hire people. governmen

i do not think it is doing well when a minimum wage is $10 an hour in some states. is not there yet but it will hit their quick. that is when to cost people, so people like myself, a small businessman, it is hard for me to employ more people when i am having to pay so much for everything. and the price of everything is going up. the price of fuel, the price of everything is going up. i do not think the government is doing a good job. host: thank you. in the wall street journal -- another comparison between the to the candidates. not to mention the role of government, but the definition of patriotism. president obama says he wants a new economic patriotism, mitt romney nichols a presidential campaign a battle for the soul of america. the candidates are not only racing to win an election. dueling over the mantle of protectionism in america, each claiming they stand for american values.

-- next is a call from janice and louisiana. a democrat. caller: i would like the government -- host: are you still there? we lost her. let us move on to gary in ohio, an independent. the good morning. caller: i feel that the constitution is there to tell the government what they are supposed to do. ok. and like the guy that brought up the water, well, the epa puts -- tells you have to have so much fluoride in the washer. -- in the water. fluoride is in the rat poison,

and that is what they are having them put so much of it in the water. they have done a good job cleaning up the water. but the deal is, we do not get the news. the news is bought. the thing where they are having the spring in iraq, iran and libya, that was not caused by a movie. it is all blow back. and these are things that -- their line to the american people about. it is not -- we cannot get the news that we need. i am an old man. i have nothing but time. these people who work every day that do not have the time -- host: thank you, gary.

back to you facebook -- the role of government should be a very, very limited. judy rights -- to keep me free to uphold the rule of law. to ensure a system of justice if i or we suffer injury in the physical sense or through fraud, the government cannot keep us safe. what should the role of government be in your life? we are asking you on this friday morning. on twitter -- clearly facing the constitution with the federal government is to do. 18 enumerations. the rest are reserved for the states and the people. next up caller, a republican from texas. good morning. caller: that would be kevin from texas. i believe the proper role of the federal government is to protect individual liberty. we are supposed to have a rules

against fraud, against injury. the problem is the federal government has gone way beyond that. it wants to redistribute what people have gained through their liberties and freedom. once you do that, then you are violating the people's liberty. i think they have gone way too far. there telling us to buy light bulbs, what kind of cars to buy, what kind of insurance to have the. it is ridiculous, it really is. let the states focus on that kind of stuff. and the federal government should stick to the constitution. as mitt romney said. host: carry on twitter rights -- the government should stay out of our bedrooms, our classrooms, out of the board room, and protect our borders and aged, sick and weak. next call, a democrat. host: i agree --

caller: i agree. i think that the states need to take care of themselves. and the government should be its own system of checks and balances. were the state's fall short. and the government comes in and makes sure the states do their job. it seems as though, it to me, i have less trust in the government. and it seems as though it has become more a celebrity issue instead of a government issue. i see the congress, the senate as celebrities, more so than people who are concerned with the welfare of the united states population. host: thank you, cynthia. this is from the kentucky newspaper -- kentucky.com about

the upcoming prevent a debate in the kentucky. hosting the october 11 presidential debate could cost about $3.3 million says the newspaper through the --. the college and public and not expected to pay most of it. separately, the college is paying for construction of facilities needed by the campaigns and the news media. hopes to recoup most of the cost of by billing them. for instance, news organizations up to pay $40 for one desk place by electricity board -- or $1,900 for a television parking space. $12 for tears but have padding, or $10 without. and about the financing of the debate. the presidential debates are

actually caused a bit more than that $3.3 million because of the additional security. next is a call from joann, from florida, an independent. good morning. caller: good morning. i think the role of government should be exactly what the constitution states. no ifs and no buts. and anyone who is running for any type of elected office, appointed office, or employment in the federal government, they should be thoroughly investigated. it amazes me that obama was not completely and investigated. and other people who are within the government. and i thank you very much.

bye bye. host: later on we have two sequential journalists. the first of about 20 minutes will be ann coulter. she has a new book out called "mugged: racial demagoguery from the seventies to obama." and then katrina vanden heuvel, the editor and publisher of the nation. and a columnist that appears in the washington post -- she will be our guest. and continuing to talk about the campaigns. and some more expensive issues. your calls and tweets will be involved as well. next is a call from dale in rock hill, south carolina. a republican. caller: i have a couple of comments. i will try to be brief. but the role of government -- i

just turned 65 and retired. but it seems like the older we get, the more thankful we are for the role of government and our lives. when you are young and working and 30's and 40's -- yes, you pay the taxes, but to really do not pay that much attention to government. the second comment -- i think governor romney did an excellent job. but i just wonder, if president , and he a great orator was actually stuttering, i am wondering if he is playing cat and mouse with romney. the only way for him to go now is down. but in the upcoming two debates, obama could come on very strong. and this could be a planned strategy. thank you for taking my call. host: thank you for making it. ann coulter has been a good morning -- is going to be a good

morning co-host for good morning america next week. -- ann romney is going to be a good morning co-host for good morning america next week. abc has been looking for celebrity guests to fill in for robin roberts who is on medical leave. next is a call from georgia, a democrat. caller: good morning. what i wanted to remind people is that -- we have a great country. and we need to look at the people from third world countries where they do not get any assistance, no help. and people is always crying about government -- that government is too much in their life, if we take government out of our lives, we will not be in a place where will be a position judging people in the third world countries.

if you have a home, i want to remind you that government help to to get about tom. if you purchased the home. if you have an education, government health do with education. and basic health assistance, ask people from third world countries. government does not help them at all. so people here in america need to wake up and realize that, if you have a government out of your life, you will wake up one day. if you do not have a basic needs. if you can not buy food from if you lose your job, god forbid if you become ill and not able to work, and you did not gets food stamps or any kind of help -- you'd be out there just like people we see on commercials where they are asking for money to help feed these people. because just think about it. deep in your souls, think about it. if he did not have government to

help you, it will be more on your own to struggle for these things. if you cannot work because were stricken down by an illness and you cannot work, then you will be out of there on your own. and you will be saying, i wish i had somebody to help me. this is my comment for this morning. host: thank you for making it. on twitter -- constitutionally limited government is in constant tension with monied interests trying to subvert it. next call from an independent and new jersey. good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for c-span. i enjoy the programming, but sometimes your callers driving me crazy. i am sure i will drive them crazy to, so it is ok. i do not believe that we should be doing as much as we are in the government. we have got to remember that

politicians from all of them, state, local, federal are our employees, not our employers. the money that we earned is our money, not the government's money. and the way they make -- weast money, we should all be up in arms. it is crazy. people who say we need government. sure we do. to protect us from enemies, foreign and domestic. and for the general welfare. which means safety net for people who cannot help themselves. we all get into trouble from time to time. but, you know, we have a responsibility to do what weekend. not only to help ourselves, but to help those around us. there are food banks, which should all contribute to, all volunteer for. there are other organizations,

nonprofits who help people all of the time. in doing much better job than the federal governments. as far as state rights, there were set up with state's rights of the federal government would not have all of the power. we lose our liberty when we allow the federal government to run rampant. also, losing our country to the debt. and i just do not understand why people do not understand that. host: appreciate your call. new jersey. this is a story that has. in a number of papers. 91 charged with fraud billing millions in medicare. 91 people including doctors, nurses and others were charged criminally after investigation of a medicare fraud. it was the government's second big trade in months after a

similar investigation in may involving 452 million and possible fraud in medicare. the accusations include billing the government for unnecessary ambulance rides in california. writing prescriptions force patients in dallas that did not qualify. the investigation is part of an effort by the obama administration for health care savings. next is a call from florida, this is gerard. caller: thank you for taking my call. my call this morning -- [unintelligible]

when you answer the question, about the role of the government, [unintelligible] they believe people can vote without an id. [unintelligible] i do not understand that.

i need someone to explain that. host: thank you. from florida on a voter id. on twitter -- the government's role is to ensure that america is a nation of laws. were billionaire tax cheat sit next to mom welfare cheat, both broke the law. next is sean. pennsylvania, a democrat. good morning, you are on. i am callingler: in about the debate that took place on monday. i believe the wealthy should pay more taxes. isght now, the middle tax suffering. that mitt romney literally lied. he said this, and then last night he changed -- wednesday

night he changed it up. about the 47%. for the middle class, he is not. years for the rich people. and all of those on wall street. thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk to you. host: from the washington post, the new fed notes are up from the last meeting. said a felt need for stimulus trumped risks, notes show. federal reserve officials debated the risks of beginning an ambitious new stimulus policy before ultimately giving it a green light, according to minutes of the central bank's september meeting.

next is a call from kevin, palm springs, california. an independent this regard but the role of government in your life. caller: i think the president's description of the role of government was spot on. we have to remember the president is a constitutional lawyer. now, mitt romney's description of the government is inaccurate. he talks about -- hear references the preamble to the constitution when he talks about god.

the constitution does not mention god. we have to also talk about their creator, not our creator. as up to an individual to determine who they want to worship. and he is also subverted the government by not paying his taxes fairly. by keeping his money out of the country. his definition of the government is keeping by government what mr. obama's is to make it stronger and more effective. host: back to twitter -- oversight of gop sen does this note, what president obama and lincoln believed -- government should do for people what they cannot do better themselves and no more. trends in american values over the years -- 87 to 2012.

they learned with this poll, americans have long been skeptical as a whole. roughly 81% say elected officials in washington lose touch with the people pretty quickly pared 62% -- 62% to say most elected officials do not care. concern next up is phyllis from iowa. good morning. republican. caller: good morning karen i

wish that people would read into the facts and not with the president is telling us. he is a very floury speaker purity influences people easily. -- he is a floury speaker. he influences people easily. they said, they are not spending the money to open up any other centers. in order for them to vote. and this is all over the world. some of them -- they did not have any of be balance in their. and another thing, he does not want to spend the money for something like that,. but he wants to give a $450 million to the muslim

brotherhood in egypt for an emergency fund. what in the world -- when they are causing so much violence in egypt. why in the world would he want to spend the money for that? i had one more thing, it is becoming a -- nation under our noses. letting the attorney general do whatever he wants. then he invokes the privilege because they are a personal friend, when the ag refuses to control -- watch the constitution. we are really lost. by using our political position for people. that is breaking the law. obama shrugged his shoulders and said it was not worth firing her over here and i could go on and on about the things that are happening.

the people on social security, they should be scared. because taking $17 billion out of medicare when it was in trouble anyway -- he said he is fine to put it back through other things. there is no way he will be able to do that. is want to force the older people -- we just will not get our medication. there are born to be fewer doctors and the way. host: running out of time. thank you. it is 8:30 when the jobs numbers come out. and suggestions on how to decipher the numbers that are released. this is just looking beyond the fine print. the falling number of long-term unemployed -- local government job losses are continuing, but

no longer a big issue. flat wages. those are the things basted to look at to get a better understanding. we will report to those numbers to you as soon as we get them. next is a call from charles, in savannah. he is a democrat. good morning. caller: good morning. i think that the government plays a good role. i am so proud of the president. to let all of the young boy is -- so like my daughter and granddaughter oare at home for me. and the federal government will pay 100% for their health insurance. i hope to reelect him. i thank you very much. host: we have one more call last.

the glow of government is up as is our role of a self-governing. and from massachusetts -- i should think it would be rehoboth, maryland. caller: it is rehoboth, massachusetts. i should go back a few minutes. the government has given the banks an outstanding bill. it was a few strings attached to it. more importantly, would it not have been better if those strings were attached to to us, if the money were given to us, we would have paid the banks, the credit unions for our car payments, whatever other bills we had, we would have gladly given the money to the banks who

ended up, who would have ended up with the money anyway. so, did they not make a mistake by just arbitrarily giving it to the banks? and not to us. so that we in turn can give it to the banks and no longer be holding to the banks. and we could not be in this debacle as far as the finances, the personal finances are concerned, let alone the governmental finances. would it have not been a better decision to give us the money, strings attached? and we were to abel -- we would pay our bills so we would not be enslaved by these bills that were created by ourselves. nonetheless, i have no bills. i did not fall into that trap. i have always been told to buy what you can pay for. and that is it. i am retired. it is good this way.

it is the best country to live in it in the world. i have lived in many other countries. i just thought that -- host: coming up in a couple minutes, ann coulter will be here. she also wants to talk to us about her latest blobook. and later on, katrina vanden heuvel will talk to you about campaign 2012. first, let me tell you about this weekend on american history tv and book tv. we have a local content vehicles traveling the country visiting communities. one weekend each month we focus on a specific city. this weekend is augusta, maine. about the founding of the area, the history of the state capitol

building and the governor's mansion. as well as discovering other historic sites. helps to the story of augusta and the state of maine. and we take to the church where she wrote the book uncle tom's cabin. as well as other local authors document and some events in the history of maine. let us listen in. >> this is there a city and main that has a major river. we occupy both sides of the river. and east and west side of the river. the river has become the defining point for us in the city of agusta. that is unique. the other thing that is unique about agusta, the state capital. we have access to the state's legislature and the governor's mansion. and all of the government services.

to expect to have with it being the state capital. the state capital has its benefits. we are proud of being the state capital. as most capitals, i am sure if you have been too, the state government in your backyard -- it can pose some difficulties, some sort of stresses. but we of a good working relationship with the state. and we get along with them. and we appreciate the benefits of being the capital. >> can you speak to some of the challenges? >> we have a significant amount of untaxed property, because the state is here. all of the state property does not pay property taxes. that puts a burden on the property tax payer and agusta. the residential owner. the commercial owner. when you have such a large volume of government -- or large number of a government properties in the city, which do not pay taxes, but yet use our

services, our fire and our police and so forth, use our roads, it puts a stress or extra burden on the property taxpayers. as part of the burden that the city has to bear for being the capital city. and sometimes, when the state wants to do something, it does not follow the ordinances that most businesses and residents have to comply with. the city ordinances the not necessarily apply. that can be a fraction point on vacation. we try to work through that. and understand that the benefits of being the capital city far outweigh some of the down sides that we have to deal with. the biggest challenge is always jobs. that is true of many communities. you see with we have to offer for agusta. a vibrant community. a lot going on.

a brand new hospital coming on. we have the commerce center down the road. major construction. we have a big construction project on interstate that will make traffic moving better. we have commercial development going on in the city. censusst year during the - or 9%., we gained 8.% there is a lot of positive momentum. we have a downtown area that is revitalizing and growing businesses. young people want to live down there. businesses want to locate downtown. there's a lot going for us. >> "washington journal" continues. host: ann coulter is with us this morning. she has a new book out. number 9. it is called -- "mugged: racial

demagoguery from the seventies to obama." we will talk with her about that. the starting point, what do where do think the presidential race is right now? guest: i think mitt romney is looking good. he was clearly the most threatening of the presidential candidates. i think he is the strongest against president obama. it is curious, for example, that there were 70 million viewers of that debate the other night. the highest it has been since 1992, the last time an incumbent was taken out. i think people are uncomfortable with obama. if they are not political nuts like we are, the have not been paying attention.

have not been watching all of the debates and just want to see the challenger is and whether they are comfortable with him. after wednesday night, i think everybody is pretty comfortable with mitt romney. host: i was reading back on your twitter feed. dating back to february, erasing the conservatives should support mitt romney. is that because he is the best in the field? or you feel good about his credentials? guest: what i was totally with chris christie. but in my defense, people still thought people who did not even run would be the candidates. because it is so hard to beat an incumbent president, i still love chris christie and i hope he does run sunday, he was so brave and the way he took on the public sector union, in no way anyone had before. he was so articulate and bright. he had become the star. i thought we would probably lose this election.

cannot take out an incumbent, especially someone who is personally as likable as obama. and for one thing, chris christie made it very clear he was not running. but i supported mitt romney back in 2008. i changed my mind about being able to beat obama. i do not think anybody could have done it. he is not only the best candidate to run against obama, in the best he has forced his opponents to default when he ran for the illinois legislature, and when he ran for the senate pretty forced his democratic opponent in the primary. he dug up some divorce records and all of a sudden he was in the bottom of the pack. and then he was running against a spectacular republican, jack ryan, like a mitt romney of illinois.

at into would begin obama. once again, the obama campaign digs up child custody records. he had been married to someone from star trek. and she had made allegations that he to occur to sex clubs. not that they entered. she said no. but he had asked her to go. still, the republicans demanded that he withdraw. and obama ran against someone else. obama has not faced a real opponent. what are they going to get -- i mean, we have a mormon who's roughest drink is a glass of

chocolate milk. this will be tough for the obama team to crack. once he becomes president, mitt romney is exactly what the country needs. host: what you think the next weeks will be like? guest: it is absolute hysteria and screams of lies. i have been promoting the book. on mitt romney watching to cut taxes on the rich. those are estimates made by a liberal tax group. the liberal tax purpose taken that estimate back. the obama campaign was running ads on that, how he ruwants to cut the tax rates. he said the overnight, no i am not cutting taxes on the richest. to want to lower rates overall

by 20% and eliminate loopholes, deductions, exemptions, that sort of thing. which i think all serious people who live in the tax code think need to be done here i. it is the richest of all to take advantage of tax deductions. you always feel like with reduction, if someone else is getting a better deal than you are. mitt romney has not specified which deductions. i can think of a few. reductions for state and local taxes. wash of the rest of us be supporting the high tax rate of new york and california? he said this is my general proposal -- we will argue about it, talk about it. we will work it out. even the tax policy center that claims this would be a $5 trillion tax cut for the rich, they have now admitted we were not calculated all of the

deductions. river just guessing which deductions you would eliminate. so, this is an opinion about what the results will be. republicans have a different opinion about the result. invite you to to wi join the conversation. we will put our e-mail address. we will mix all of those into our discussion. we have been telling you the new jobs numbers are out. we want to of a chance to look at those and get her reaction to those. so, we should spend a couple minutes on your book before we get to calls. what is your thesis? guest: that white guilt has never gotten anything good for america. as always been a disaster, driven the races further apart. when every time a cop shot a black man, that would be months

of hysteria about the klan taking over the police force. and then it comes out that the man was mugging the top. -- the cop. and then the turning point in my book -- the rodney king case, which many people and los angeles know about, but many others do not. tv stations editing be beating tape in order to fuel ghetto rage knowing what could happen, because the media is looking for another hill case. democrats are not lynching blacks, no one else is. and then they o.j. verdict. that is when they said, the white guilt bank is shut down. it ended up being a wonderful thing for america, and most of all for black people, because

there were no longer being treated like children. and many great things came out of that spirit of a chapter on the post o.j. paradise. and with obama, not because he is half black, the media, the left has brought all of the racial demography back. obama does not engage in this as much as liberals in the media, but he put it out of their purity brings it up. -- he brings it up. and i saw this election season, he cannot run on his record. it would be full of the claims of imaginary racism. and so, all some of the point is not to fall for it again, america. host: one of the policies that came of the 1970's is affirmative action. to be reviewed again by the

supreme court in another week and a half. what are your views about the effectiveness or lack thereof of affirmative action? guest: my law firm at the time brought this against them. we won the law firm case. i think this there have been more recent studies about how it's been a disaster for black people. that's the way to do it. one thing that conservatives have not liked about richard nixon was he was the first went to impose racial quotas on the construction industry that was doing business with the government. people grow up in a world without separate where funds and without democrats like george

wallace. lifetime -- the only affects of being black is it is an advantage. you are likely to get into a top law school. it has been used in a corrupt way as years went on. you read through 100 years of republicans pushing through legislation -- public accommodations legislation -- with the democrats constantly blocking, blocking, blocking. you become so frustrated. i think nixon was right. they were giving long enough to

voluntarily integrate their work forces. if they refuse to hire black people, we will get results. i think he was right. host: left the response to a piece in "the new york times" this morning, author of a new book. he is a professor of sociology in princeton. he believes a firmer action is necessary -- he believes affirmative action is necessary and he writes --

guest: when you said it was from "the new york times," i could have told you i disagree. affirmative action has become a way for liberals to paper over the failure of the public schools. i don't think blacks are stupider than whites. the disaster of the public schools, it is a universal of nature that everything will become worse. everything sold on the private market will become better.

verses the amtrak food service. our entire health care will be put in the hands of the federal government, the capable hands. host: one more thing from "the new york times." guest: i disagree. .ost: maybe you won't guest: i did not write about bussing in my books.

i write about someone that dies. busing is the perfect metaphor for liberals and race relations. liberals will move heaven and earth to make sure their kids go to white schools far away from the schools they are fiddling with other people's lives. it wasn't because liberals thought it was so important to send their children to school with people of different races. they were not doing that. to be busing kids for hours every morning to go to a different neighborhood when black or white, you want to go to school with people in your neighborhood. and long time op-ed writer for

"the new york times" wrote obsessively about race and it comes out he was sending his kids to private school. really? the one chance you had. contrast that with a judge that was blocked by the democrats on civil rights grounds because he was not on abortion. it has nothing to do with black people anymore. who was i talking about? host: charles pickering. guest: he was a prosecutor prosecuting the klan. he was putting his life at jeopardy and sent his kids to public schools. not white liberals. host: this is missy in buffalo.

good morning. caller: i think you're brilliant. you are my role model. i just wanted to say that and i can wait to read your book. i know your book covers the 1970's and 1980's. the one topic they bring up with republicans is slavery. the republicans had a huge role in ending slavery, they still use that as a talking point against our party. guest: and the apocryphal southern strategy. that is the most amazing rewrite in history. in my third book, a large part

of that was telling the truth of joe mccarthy. that covered about five years. liberals have reread the history to cover 200 years. republicans or the party to talk about slavery. it was for the next 100 years with platforms endorsing justice marshall -- attorney 30 marshall's -- ternate thurgood marshall -- attorney thurgood marshall's victory in board versus the border -- brown versus the board of education.

and the troops to enforce the victory down in little rock. at that point, the democrats had to pretend to care about civil rights. the first sell rights legislation pushed by a democrat -- far more republicans voted for it. it was about 80% republicans. they had voted for every other civil-rights bill. they were liberal democrats. albert gore sr. all of these characters were ferocious opponents of joe mccarthy. robert byrd had 100% rating.

do not believe the light they were conservative democrats. there was one of 18 liberal democratic segregationist who became a republican and that was strom thurmond. this line is pulled off by describing the entire south as if it was one state. republicans -secretly appealed the democratic segregationist and suddenly we swept the south. republicans took the south when the dixiecrats died out. republicans had been winning the outer southern states since the 1920's. warren harding did pretty well.

eisenhower twice. this was before 1964. reagan lost the dixiecrat states. reagan did best with college students, the people that were not born when strom thurmond was running. we want the south when the democrats died out. host: here's a question on twitter. guest: it is not about black people. it is a book about white liberals and how they lie. even when advances are made, they are back to demagogy white people and patronizing black people.

host: ricardo, good morning. caller: how can your that cross around your neck after euratom abortion as a teenage girl? guest: what? do you have a call screener? host: there is a story about abortion in the paper and i thought i would bring it to the table. this is from "usa today" this morning.

guest: well, i was not alive and in the argument back when the pill was being introduced. i do understand there were arguments mostly made by conservatives and christians with the wide availability of birth control and what have an increase in premarital sex which leads to venereal diseases and unwanted pregnancies. once you are 30 years down that road, the difference from 2008 to 2012 is really irrelevant. what the the narrow disease rates back then verses now is

staggering -- what the venereal disease rates back then verses now is staggering. "congratulations, i would like to go back to 3%." if i had an abortion, i should go back to being a christian. host: howard is next in alabama, good morning. caller: good morning. a pleasure to talk to you. are you there? host: we are listening. caller: i wanted to talk about leadership in the white house. i think it is terrible. obama is about the worst leader i've ever seen. i would rather have a leader

that changes his mind occasionally that one that passes the buck at every turn. years ago, two colleges doing some research back in the late 1940's or 1950's, making decisions and i remember reading about this in military training manuals years ago. if you make decisions with to remind thinking things through, you would be right 75% of the time. making decisions with your heart, you'll be wrong 50% of the time. heart i don't know about vs. head, but i agree about flip-floping. romney flip-flop on

abortion. i am happy about that. he has not changed his position on anything else of any substance. i agree with obama that he is rigid and will not change his mind. the comparison is to bill clinton who had a democratic house and senate when he first came in. he tried to pass national health care and america responded by voting in a republican congress. that was the republican revolution of 1994 and we saw and about face with bill clinton. the american people will not approve of his policy and that

is when bill clinton became a dlc democrats and signed pretty much everything that the congress sent to him. that is the congress the democrats are bragging about. obama has to go back to the clinton era. it was when the republican congress came in in january of 1995 and past welfare reform and all sorts of new and fantastic criminal law provisions. there was a tax cut slipped in. that was the republican congress driving the bus. host: this is from twitter by aamom. guest: the idea that what people

do not know about obama it is racist is a preposterous. where was all this love for blacks and high public positions when clarence thomas was nominated to the supreme court? how about 1 condoleezza rice was the first black female secretary of state'? democrats do not like obama because he is black. they liken it because he is left wing -- they like him because he is left-wing. and his proposal to raise taxes -- they can call them races. that's what democrats like about obama. they couldn't care less he is half black. caller: i have two questions.

i wonder if there is a two-tier ed justice system in this country? thousands and thousands of dollars while on the terrorist watch list. muslims get prosecuted for the same thing. i have another question. guest: that is not my interest. we're in the middle of a presidential election. i just wrote this book. that is outside what i'm interested in. caller: do you think mitt romney will roll back the surveillance state? they are building a computer

center in utah that is going to be directed at us. do you think romney will roll back the surveillance state? guest: we are against a fascist state at home because we want to be strong abroad. host: russell in south carolina. caller: good morning. it is always a pleasure to talk to the people at c-span. my comment with ann and the republicans -- it is amazing how she can just ignore the civil- rights movement and the voter rights bill. the voting rights bill actually change the seven democrats in south carolina, mississippi, alabama, tennessee.

a lot of states. 97% of the republicans in south carolina used to be democrats before black people got the right to vote. that is an amazing statistic that i didn't hear anybody talking about. everyone is talking about how we to turn everything to the state, almost without regard as to what the states have done in the history. she ignored that also in her book. the state has vagrancy laws. corporations have continued to enslave black people way past slavery. even that those black men -- even douglas blackmun has wrote

a book about the. host: have you read her book ? caller: no. guest: the 1976 election. look at the dark area. that is the democrats for jimmy carter. it was the south he carried. host: a question from "the new republic."

guest: so by voter suppression, he means not being able to walk up and vote without a photo i.d. i think he would be clear if the said, why do republicans need a voter i.d. to vote? if you put it th way, i think people would laugh. register state to state? it has nothing to do with black people and involves slandering black people. but they do not care because they start slopping the civil- rights label on gay marriage and abortion on demand and another

cause the democrats believe in is voter fraud. they are famous for it. it appears the election of our franken in minnesota when his opponent and that the next day with about 500 more votes than out franken democrats kept finding more votes for al franken and he wound up winning by a few hundred votes. there have been more than 100 convictions for voter fraud. more than 1000 of the votes from that election are being investigated in democratic areas. democrats want to keep engaging in voter fraud. they love black people so much. black people are too stupid to get voter id. d.

that's their argument. host: related to that, a question -- guest: yes. great point. this is not something i have written about but i read some of this. our servicemen in afghanistan are requesting their ballots and have not been able to get them. it is about 20% of the military vote compared to in past election. they are not being sent down. this is the united states military and they are not getting their ballots this year. host: and scall from massachusetts -- next call from massachusetts.

caller: i hope you do well with your book. barack obama was not the first black president to run. alan keyes ran twice. number two, lincoln. lincoln freed the saves. margaret sanger started it planned parenthood. i hope the black people wake up. guest: yes, well, by and large, blacks are far more conservative and things like abortion. was the sanger's was the founder of planned parenthood.

i would also say that black people are right -- i agree with their position. the devastating impacts of the black community over the absence of marriage in so many households -- blacks at a higher marriage rate than white people . this is not a legacy of slavery. there is nothing that has been as devastating to the family as the great society program. the vast majority of black people oppose gay marriage because this is another liberal attack of the institution of marriage. they have come at it with no- fault divorce laws and now

they're coming out with the gays. host: we see ann coulter a lot on this network. she went to the university of michigan law school where she was an editor of the michigan law review. she was on the senate judiciary staff. private law practice in new york city. her latest book is called "mugged.' " host: we have a tweet. guest: that means telling the truth about a candidate. is a term from a book -- it is a

term from a book. host: john from pennsylvania. caller: i wish c-span we do a series on the platforms of the republican party and the democrat party. i think it would clear a lot of stuff up. the republican party was the poet that stood up against ism.gamy and mormon as s the mormons had hundreds of christians as they went to california and landed on the native americans because they had -- brigham young had more than 50 wives and more than 12- year-old lives than war in juwan jeffs had. concerning the amount of money that goes to the oil subsidies.

guest: can we take one at a time? let's stick with the mormon bashing. that goes back to my earlier answer on gay marriage. this country almost fought a civil war against the mormons because of polygamy. people understand it the start understanding the definition of marriage than it means nothing. "the new york times" and others who have pushed gay marriage are leaping out -- and why should you have to be monogamous? let's redefine -- that's what marriage is. this has nothing to do with being anti woman, and the

feminist was demanding no-fault divorce,. tois deep in america's bones oppose polygamy. it was blood in it that drove the market to drive the mormons out of the country. we are a target country when it comes to an unusual religion. host: this is following up with your definition about abortion rights. [laughter] guest: never understand why this is a hard concept to grasp. we want enough government so people are not killed in the

womb. that doesn't mean we want the government to make this go through 18 hours of procedures to change the moawning in front of the store. host: 114,000 jobs created in september and the unemployment rate going down, 7.8%. yet it's still higher than the day obama took office. that excludes all the people that have given up looking for work. it is still higher than the day he took office. host: with the trend going down, how do you think it will play politically? guest: 23 million people are out of work.

the country is suffering. maybe they do not know on capitol hill. people know that people are not working are working at far less jobs than they had a few years ago. we have to get the country going again. host: teresa in florida. caller: you just about talked out the clock. most of us heard what romney said on tape, 47% of americans being deadbeats. guest: he did not say that. he did not say "deadbeats." he said 47% do not pay income tax. there is your headline.

caller: you brag governor romney was clever. when somebody lies so well -- guest: that was a joke. that is what we call in the right thing business a joke. host: we are out of time. where are you going on your book tour and what reaction do you get? guest: i travel a lot and give a lot of speeches. host: ill blends in -- it all blends enin. guest: i'm doing a book signing today on 12th street.

i will be in los angeles for a few days doing it book signing in pomona. and a book signing in philadelphia on october 25. and a book signing in new york on november 1. i do not like to travel. host: this book is focusing on race. how our audience is reacting? guest: the entire mainstream media is pretending this book does not exist. i got more attention with my first book when i was working at a law firm. this is a more aggressive attack on the mainstream media then my second book was. i think they do not want people to read it.

host: thank you for being here. the book is called "mugged." ann coulter has it web page and it twitter feed. thank you for being here. we'll take a break and we'll be back to talk to katrina vanden heuvel, joining us from new york city. [video clip] >> we to strengthen social security. we are putting ideas on the table on how to do that. so that these promises are kept. >> they have laid out clearly that what barack obama and joe biden did was stole money from

medicare to get obamacare and you see it in the ads and here in everything they say. nothing could be further from the truth. >> martha raddatz moderates and you can watch and engage with c- span starting at 7:00 p.m. and followed by the debate at 9:00 p.m. follow our live coverage on c- span, c-span radio, and online and c-span.org. >> it is a great inside looked to what is happening in washington and it changes your view. it is different than regular media. it shows a lot of what is real and what is going on.

i watched hearings on c-span and when the senate and house votes on different bills. and when the supreme court has hearings. we watched different decisions and opinions on c-span. >> c-span, created in 979 and brought to as the public service by local television provider -- created in 1979. >> "washington journal" continues. host: next up is katrina vanden heuvel, editor and publisher of "the nation." we just got the new jobless number. the unemployment rate has dropped to 7.8%.

what is your reaction to this for the country and politically? guest: for the country, any drop in those numbers is important. i think joblessness is the real crisis. i worry. i think president obama did save this country from the great depression. his advisers did not foresee the great dropped. the programs were not as scale to deal with the jobless this we see today. i worry about -- this grand bargain of the elite. we have consigned this country

to a new normal. full employment is officially 5.5% and i think this country has the spirit and creativity and innovation to make sure that all americans have a good job and that to be our aspiration. politically, i think these numbers tell president obama. people are hardened into their corners. this is a great but treking democracy. sometimes think not to be to ocute aboo cute about this. i would like to come back as a woman swing voter in iowa. we're seeing that targeting of the 2%, 3%.

i think these numbers will play a role. the hardening of this election is in place. host: the focus of the cover on your magazine and that is the next president possibility to make his selection for the supreme court. i'm wondering what your view is of the current makeup of the court and which direction it will go as the new term opens this week in light of the vote on health care. guest: your viewers can see that cover. often the court is viewed through the prism through hot- button social issues like abortion, guns, criminal defense issues. this is very much about the election where we have four

supreme court justices over the age of 70. we have a court which has in many ways savored -- favored the corporations, the very rich over ordinary people come in. the axis of workers to the court. in the defining decision, since united -- citizens united was on president in unleashing the power of corporate money in enhancing the power of money, the very rich in our politics. the court is a player. the problem is that progressives have not understood the power of the courts as have the conservative movement, the right-wing movement.

the courts to their decisions that are not just try decisions -- not just dry decision. not giving them the time of day and leaving the president. one would have thought after bush v. gore that it would be laughable to hear the right wing jesses to say they are not -- in a democratic country you had a supreme court stopped the counting of votes on behalf of a man, later a president -- those jesses had been appointed by his father. -- those justices had been appointed by his father. this is america's oldest continuing published weekly.

we were around during the roosevelt era when roosevelt faced down a supreme court which was prepared to invalidate the great economic legislation of the new deal, trying to roll back child labor laws and other pieces of legislation. saves nine. time chas justice roberts, a man who knows history, i believe i understood the legitimacy of the supreme court was in the balance. that was in the balance in the health-care. he found a clever way to finesse the decision. he undermined the commerce clause and it is more into a tax decision.

the impact on medicaid -- it was good dear president obama speak about the dangers of undercutting medicaid. that is still something to watch. roberts saw myself as an institution last and not a member of the gang of four. the medicaid decision is something to watch. host: this is a special segment for us. we have students on board the c- us making,ign 2012 bo tour through ohio. airbus is at miami university -- our bus is at miami university.

10 students will be participating. our thanks to time warner cable for getting us connected. john is our for student at miami university. caller: good morning. what can president obama or governor romney due to work with the next congress? do think this will lead to a greater assertion of executive authority in the next term? guest: thank you, john. i did not know i would be facing the toughest questioners. congressional approval is at an all-time low. it is up there with paris hilton and the communist party of russia. i think we need to step back and understand many people in this country see the political system

as broken. others -- elizabeth warren -- have spoken house some money have seen the system rigged against them. there is a few that those who dislike government for the past 40 years have a stake in diminishing the reputation of government, of congress. i would argue that we have seen a movement in these last 40 debase role ofa government. callback and read the book on lyndon johnson. the use or abuse of the filibuster has been used or

abuse in the last 10 days or three years more than once in the 1960's 197's combined by the republicans. the president has an opportunity to come back if the republicans decide their first mission it can no longer be with senator jim demint. mitch mcconnell said the first priority was to make sure obama was it first term president. there was the possibility of working on different issues. if you have some good progressives reelected --share -- youeth warren have a chance to find partnership on core issues. even something the chamber of commerce signed onto.

this country could use an infrastructure bank that would put bpeople back to work and rebuild the infrastructure. with mitt romney, you need somebody to, and that will understand that 47% of americans are not freeloaders but part of a political system and a country that deserves the respect. paul ryan has put forward a budget. another of them have fully explain how that would cut tax rates 20% across the board. what kind of loopholes would they find? that is a tough fight to have in a congress where there is a belief in a fair shot. host: next is a caller from iowa, lowarry.

caller: hi. thank you for taking my call. i watch too often. i have a big problem with republicans, where a truck i feel they have not paid a political price for the damage that was done to this country. unemployment went down today. the numbers are good. there expressionism is part of the reason we have not seen growth in our economy and is where it is because the republicans. all they do is blame the president. host: thank you. guest: there is no question -- president obama had a jobs bill

last year. the republicans had no use for it. it was put aside because they did not want to have the present have a success. they were not interested in creating jobs. do they have a jobs plan? there is no record that cutting tax creates jobs. i do think the democrats need to be bolder and put forward many more ideas about how to create jobs. in my mind the democratic party is a coalition of interest. the republican party i think will possibly expire because it ist.become so extreme as t

it risks extinction in a country going through such demographic shifts. it is primarily a white, older party to that. it doesn't understand how they will operate. they will throw as much money and do the vote suppression which about 11 courts have said we're not going to buy into the idea of bogus voter fraud to impair the greatest rights america has. host: we have 10 students on the bus. all the journalism students are double majors. a quick comment from you as an editor who hires journalists.

guest: i think that is a great idea. many journalism schools are going through a crisis of identity. i have believe it is important to have a substantive journalism -- to bring to it and expertise. my husband is a political scientist at has taught soviet history for 30 years and was about to be hired by "the new york times." he understood about having an insight special knowledge of a certain area was great. i think our journalism should, .h accommodate that all power to the students on that bus. host: emily is up next. what is your question?

caller: "the new york times" said the president lost the first debate. what do thing the president needs to do? guest: i hope you're writing a column about how anthropologist watches that debate. that is a fascinating double major that you have. that was a missed opportunity at the debate. on substance, the president in my mind won. the debate formats did not allow -- calling out mendacity. in the next debate, i think the president is to be more engaged, more passionate about what he cares about and what he has

spoken to on the campaign trail, whether it is about fairness are the dangers of inequality, the importance of the middle class. i would welcome more talk about america's non-military engagement with the world and poverty. poverty is almost never mentioned and the rates of child poverty aren't unprecedented levels. i think it would be worth it was some discussion about that. president obama needs to be engaged and show he wants to be in that white house and take on hen romney says, "mya plan covers pre-existing conditions." no, it doesn't.

host: our next question comes from a caller from georgia, and independenct. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i would like to speak about my frustration with people who allow their ideology to override the reality of the situation. i enjoy political conversations with different types of people. it is almost as if conservatives are in a different universe than i am when we tried to discuss politics. they are baked and harping on the debt and deficits -- they are big on harping on the debt and deficits. instead acknowledging the two wars we have not paid for, medicare part d, and that we

have to come up with a way to pay for those, they switched and talking about entitlements. that bait and switch is fresh ready to me. we're still at war. i like to hear about a plan to pay. host: we appreciate your call. guest: i'm not sure the people you're describing are most members of the republican party today by what one would call conservative. conservatives had a stake in truth, the enlightenment, rational thought. the current party has waged a war in science. climate denial is horrifying.

you cited former vice president dick cheney that deficits do not matter. karl rove said it that we create our own realities. a romney pollsters said we will not be restricted by fact checkers. the problem is the policy oriented. the party has been captured by people like grover norquist who is a ferocious anti-tax ideologue who has forced many members of the house and senate to abide by his pledge of no tax increases. where do you get the revenue to help build the country? when people talk about the deficit -- it is not the deficit

or debt but joblessness which is the great crisis of our times. the deficit and debt did not arrive from some inaccurate conception. two unfunded wars, medicare part d. let them speak to that. mitt romney has it fantastical approach to arithmetic. at the bottom of it, there is a commitment and an ideology to insuring that the top 1% make out real well. those most vulnerable at the bottom of the society who need a helping hand in times of fiscal economic crisis are put aside. it is ideological and i think it is ideological and i think the term